Sportsnaut
Our weekly NFL defense rankings examine every unit across the league to determine the best defenses in the NFL. With the preseason wrapped up, let’s dive into our evaluations for the worst and best NFL defenses this season. We’ll update our NFL defense rankings, with analysis on all 32 teams, every Sunday night each week.
Our NFL defense ranks are updated as of Sunday, September 7, following the late-afternoon games in Week 1. You can find an analysis of all 32 defenses immediately below. We’ll release our Week 2 fantasy defense rankings on Tuesday. You can also find a variety of NFL defensive stats further below.
As Bill Barnwell of ESPN noted after the trade, the Dallas Cowboys had the No. 1 defense in the NFL in EPA per play when Micah Parsons was on the field from 2021-’24. In Week 1, we saw glimpses of why the Green Bay Packers could have the best NFL defense in 2025 once Parsons gets up to speed.
Facing the highest-scoring team (33.2 PPG) in the NFL last season, Green Bay allowed the Detroit Lions to find the end zone just once. Parsons played a very limited snap count, but he still generated 1 sack, 1 TFL and 1 quarterback hit. The All-Pro edge rusher’s presence also opened things up for Rashan Gary (3 QB hits and 1.5 sacks) and Lukas Van Ness. Just a defensive clinic from Green Bay and Parsons is just getting warmed up. Jayden Daniels will prove far more elusive on Thursday Night Football in Week 2, but the Packers’ defense should still perform.
The Houston Texans defense delivered a performance worthy of a win in Week 1. Puka Nacua (10-130 on 11 targets) did his thing, but Houston contained Davante Adams (51 yards on 8 targets) and Kyren Williams (3.7 yards-per-carry average), while holding the Rams’ offense to 14 points on nine drives with 6 QB hits, 5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. The Texans’ defense draws another challenging matchup in Week 2 versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but there will be opportunities to create pressure with All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs out.
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Facing a rookie quarterback in an offense designed by Brian Callahan, it’s fair to say the Denver Broncos defense had the advantage in Week 1. Up front, the Broncos feasted on the rookie with 12 quarterback hits and 6 sacks, with six different players sacking Ward. Denver also held the Titans to a 3.4 yards-per-carry average and a 14.3 percent third-down conversion rate on 14 attempts. It’s worth recognizing, though, that the Titans’ receivers had a lot of drops and some of the other top five NFL defenses faced much better competition. Denver...
